AMA News
Museum Minutes
Gary Prater Museum Director 5151 E. Memorial Dr. Muncie, IN 47302
There are a lot of topics to cover this month, and I hope there's something in this column for everybody! Let me say that, just like any normal person, it's nice to be missed. Last month I took a little breather from this column. My graphite manual input device needed a little sharpening, I guess. But what a response! There were people out there who said they actually missed it, and that made me feel really good. A sincere thanks to those who called.
Percy Pierce Update
I've been saying thanks a lot lately. In my last column I made an appeal for support for our special purchase of the Percy Pierce collection, and the response was wonderful. I tried to call all the donors to the cause and give them a big thank you! What a group! I can certainly agree with Dave Brown that there is no such thing as an "average" Academy member because if there is, I haven't met one.
I asked each one bluntly, "What prompted you to give to the Pierce fund?" I got many responses, but most centered around their firm grasp of the importance of model aviation to history. In my job I confront people every day—especially people in the tourism industry (travel writers and group tour operators and the like) who think we are all about men and boys playing with their toys.
Whoa! It's more like this: put together a profile of the persons who have made great contributions to our society in this century and tabulate it, and I know one of the strongest common denominators you will find is that, somewhere in most of their lives, they were involved in model aviation. This group would resoundingly agree with the statement "Model Aviation helped make me what I am today!"
The group that unhesitatingly donated to the Percy Pierce collection almost always added that they wanted to give back to model aviation part of what model aviation had given to them. Some of the stories I heard and the letters I read were really moving. Several people sent checks for more than $100. One club passed the hat at its monthly meeting and collected almost $550! My heartfelt thanks.
The Percy Pierce fund is still open. Now that we have purchased the material, we still have the job of preserving it and designing and building an exhibit to be displayed. There have been several requests to examine the material, but most of it is just too old and fragile to be used on a regular basis. It will take several thousand dollars to make sure the material is available for research in replica form, so if you were hesitant to be a part of this effort at first, know that your help is still needed and that you are not alone in your feeling that one of the most important parts of our aeromodeling heritage should not become lost or forgotten.
Fighting the Cold War—Again!
The other day I got a call from Francis Gary Powers, Jr. I was surprised! I remember the name from the infamous U-2 spy plane incident that occurred on May 1, 1960. However, it was his son, not the "old man" himself.
Gary described a project that he and the son of Nikita Khrushchev are starting—the Cold War Museum. In their executive summary he wrote:
"Through educational programs such as seminars and workshops about the Cold War, a Cold War Museum and Reference Library, an on-line Cold War computer web site, a Cold War Memorial, and a Cold War Espionage Tour of Washington, D.C., the Museum shall seek to enlist all elements of the Cold War Community in the effort to maintain historical accuracy for the benefit of the public while strengthening the resources available for the study of the Cold War by students and academia. It will help show future generations the fears, divisions, and dangers that the Cold War brought and reflect upon the global geopolitical climate in which many of us grew up.
We would like to work with your Museum in order to display Cold War era aircraft. The types of aircraft that could be incorporated into Cold War displays would include the F-80, F-84, F-89, F-102, F-106, F-100, F-101, F-105, F-104, F-111, F-15, F-16, F-117, B-29, B-36, B-45, B-47, B-52, B-57, B-58, B-2, B-1, U-2, SR-71, and other aircraft flown between 1945 and 1990. Other types of related models would include missiles, helicopters, and spacecraft flown during the Cold War."
There are probably several scale builders that would love to work with this new, prestigious museum. If you are interested, call Gary Powers at the Cold War Museum at (703) 273-2381.
New Museum Steering Committee Chairperson
With the retirement of George Aldrich from the Executive Council, Dave Brown has assigned Wes DeCou, Vice President from District II, to head up the Museum Steering Committee. I look forward to a very fruitful relationship with Wes, and I am excited about his desire to galvanize the leadership necessary to raise money and to provide future direction for our museum.
Wes has asked me to make it known that he would like to reconstitute the Museum Steering Committee to serve as the National Model Aviation Museum's next generation of leadership.
"This new body of leaders will be larger and more diverse. They will be chosen for their particular expertise, networks within the aeromodeling community, and for the financial resources they can bring to the table," said Wes.
He plans to select individuals who will "extend the reach of the museum into the world of aeromodeling, and ensure that its members become deeply involved in the museum," he added.
Wes is adopting a progressive method for recruiting members to the Steering Committee. He hopes to identify new leaders through contacts in a formal nomination process. He asks that anyone interested in becoming involved with the museum and its governance, or who knows of someone they think would be a good candidate for the role, please contact either Wes or myself.
"I want to gather the names of potential individuals and some information about them. We need talented people who will make the National Model Aviation Museum a priority and who will help it grow. We also need people who will bring financial resources," he said.
Here's how it works: please submit your name, or the name of someone you know, to Wes. We will then send you a referral form or questionnaire, whichever is appropriate. The goal of this process is to ensure a diverse committee with a shared high level of interest in the museum and its future.
"It is also important that several different competencies be represented," Wes said. "We need to develop the systems, programs, and personnel required of a museum in the 21st Century, such as development and membership programs and public outreach. In addition, we need skills in exhibition development, educational and scholarly programming. We are also going to jump-start the long-range planning process. With cooperation between the Museum Steering Committee, Education Committee, and AMA staff, this planning process will be the catalyst that guarantees our future."
Thank you, Wes.
Who's Not in the Hall of Fame?
Question: Who's not in the Hall of Fame? Answer: A lot of famous modelers, many of whom people seem to assume are—or that a lot of people seem to agree should be. To help focus on the question, I've included the current list of those in the Hall of Fame so you can study it and see if any of your favorite people are included.
Dozens more have been nominated, but not yet elected, and this year some of them will be added to the list. It seems, however, safe to say that there will always be more people nominated than elected. That's not to say that many of them don't deserve the honor; it simply means that in any given year, some candidates are more deserving than others, so they are included while those remaining may be considered in the future.
What makes the process awkward, though, is that some deserving names may never be considered. This is because these people must first be nominated. To be nominated, someone must get a nomination form from AMA Headquarters, fill it out with details of the potential candidate's background, then send it back to AMA. With the present system, nothing happens unless a nomination is made, no matter how good the candidate is.
So it may be up to you to correct an oversight if your favorite "hero" is not in the system. The best way to make sure that deserving people aren't left out is to get involved yourself, or to get someone else involved who will see that a nomination is submitted.
Enough preaching on that subject; shift your thinking to September. At that time in Muncie, there may well be the most outstanding gathering of Hall of Famers, in conjunction with the annual SAM (Society of Antique Modelers) Championships. We'll be doing a Pioneers celebration and banquet, much like the Celebration of Eagles event in 1996. Some are calling it Eagles II, and indications are that it will be another of those "once in a lifetime" events. See you there, I hope!
Nominations Due
Nominations for the offices of President and Vice Presidents in Districts I, V, and IX are due at the Headquarters of the Academy of Model Aeronautics June 1, 1998. Any AMA member may submit a nomination. The nominee must be a Leader Member of the Academy and must reside in the District.
A letter of acceptance from the nominee must be on file at AMA Headquarters by June 5, 1998, 10 days prior to the published meeting date. The nominee must also submit a resume of professional qualifications and model aviation experience.
The resume should include, but not be limited to, the following:
- A statement regarding Leader Member status, including the date on which it was conferred.
- Background in the following areas which may apply to the nominee:
- a. Management/administration
- b. Financial background
- c. Insurance experience and/or expertise
- d. Legal background
- e. Technical background, including the areas of aerodynamics, electronics (especially in radio frequency propagation and usage), acoustics (as relates to noise and sound laws), and other areas of engineering.
- The nominee's proposed contribution to the Academy in the event he/she is elected to the office for which he/she has been nominated, including an outline of the candidate's priorities and goals.
No person may nominate himself/herself for an AMA office.
An incumbent must be properly nominated and have accepted to be placed on the ballot.
DISTRICT IV REPORT
Delaware / District of Columbia / Maryland / North Carolina / Virginia
Chuck Foreman Vice President 412 Pine Cone Ct. Kill Devil Hill, NC 27948 Phone: (919) 441-5855 Fax: (919) 441-6554 cforeman@modelaircraft.org
Associate Vice Presidents:
- George Abbott, 2712 Westlake Court, Raleigh, NC 27613; Phone: (919) 848-6719
- Robert E. Babra, 117 Otis Dr., Severn, MD 21144-1130; Phone: (410) 969-9356
- Steve Moulton, 2217 Johnstown Rd., Chesapeake, VA 23323; Phone: (757) 424-3452
- Richard (Dick) Smith, 761 Gwynne Ave., Waynesboro, VA 22980-3346; Phone: (540) 943-1684
- John Stare, 826 Marl Rd., Middletown, DE 19709; Phone: (302) 376-7154
- Bill Teague, 625 5th Ave., SW, Hickory, NC 28602; Phone: (704) 324-2164
Frequency Coordinator:
- Paul Yacoubcci, 6408 Winthorpe Dr., Fayetteville, NC 28311-1007; Phone: Evening: (910) 488-5986
Every once in a while the duty of being an AMA Vice President has its rewards. One of those times happened recently as I had the privilege of presenting the AMA Hall of Fame Award to a long-time member and supporter of AMA. The picture below shows John Patton accompanied by his wife Liz as he received the AMA Hall of Fame Award at the Pegasus R/C Club meeting on November 14, 1997. Congratulations, John, from all of District IV.
LEADER MEMBERS: All clubs in District IV be sure that you have at least one AMA Leader Member in your club as AMA will soon begin mailing some information to Leader Members. I would like for all clubs in District IV to send me the name of an active Leader Member in their club with address and phone number. This name and club affiliation will be placed on the active Leader Member mailing list.
ALLEN ECKLUND — NORTH CAROLINA: The photos below were sent to me by Allen Ecklund about the North Carolina State Pattern Championships that were held on Nov. 1 and 2 at the Winston Salem R/C Club field.
SKY LANCERS: The Sky Lancers of Washington, D.C., held a U/C flight demonstration at the Goddard Space Flight Center on the center's community day. The weather was drizzly rain but they did manage to get in some demonstration flights which were well received by the visitors at the center.
PRINCE GEORGE R/C CLUB: Prince George R/C Club had an open house at their "Joe Solko" field on Oct. 4. Plenty of free hotdogs, hamburgers and sodas. Admission to the event was a canned food item for the Bowie food pantry.
TRY SOMETHING REWARDING: Have you noticed the expression on a kid's face the first time on a buddy box? If you have not seen this marvelous expression, then GO TAKE A KID FLYING AND SIGN UP A NEW MEMBER.
DISTRICT V REPORT
Jim McNeill Vice President 617 South 2nd Avenue Birmingham, AL 35205 Phone: (205) 252-2427 FAX: (205) 252-2427 E-mail: jmccneill@msn.com
Herb Brokhoff in Ocala, Florida, writes: "I feel one report on Council Meetings is enough. A little explanation of your thoughts on motions that did not go your way such as Motion XI of the Nov meeting...." Thanks for the nice letter, Herb. Henceforth I'll only respond to personal requests like yours on Council meetings since those meetings are now faithfully documented almost immediately in our magazine. My purpose in listing all those Council meetings in the past was because I feel strongly the membership has a right to know how their organization is being run and how their money is being spent.
As I write this it is Jan. 8. Two weeks ago was Dec. 25, Christmas Day. That day a friend of mine died. He had a surprise attack of bone cancer, all very suddenly. He was Donald Bechtel, also a friend of all the AMA members in Iowa, Wisconsin, Michigan and Minnesota. He was their District VP. A very pleasant, nice person. (Goodbye Don, your kind doesn't come by very often.)
Another sad note. Mid-Mississippi Club President Bryce Blanton and his wife Quanita were driving north in Arkansas when an 18-wheeler jack-knifed in front of them and Bryce's little car went up underneath the truck. Quanita was killed instantly. Bryce died in the helicopter after being pinned in for 30 minutes. An ambulance racing to free Bryce out from under the truck smashed up and killed two of the rescue team. Long-time friend Pop Curtis of the Columbus-Ft. Benning RC Club in Georgia died last week, Dec. 30.
Any more of these tragic untimely deaths, I'm going to start a "Who-Was-Who in AMA" column.
Mr. James Alvis of Jackson, Miss., is a new AMA Associate VP for middle Mississippi.
Walt Moore in Rock Hill, S.C., is President of the Metrolina CL Society. His club is into an annual sponsorship of local Cub Scouts wherein the Club shows the children how to make Delta Darts and how to fly them, and also has created and printed up an "Aviators Award" to award to the Cub Scouts who complete a Delta Dart.
Rich Herrmann with the Pensacola, Fla., Aeromodelers mailed me this picture of the nice people, the workers who helped host and helped function a "Benefit Fun-Fly" recently, with proceeds going to the Northwest Florida Alzheimer's Association. Fifty-four flyers arrived with 63 airplanes and kept four flight stations busy all day. With the help of sponsors, donors, and spectator participation they raised over $1,200. This was their 3rd annual Benefit Fun-Fly.
Doug Sampson, President of the Emerald Coast Giant Scalers, writes: "It has been 5 years since we had our club mentioned in your column. We are well known in the Southeast but could use the advertising to make us bigger. We have an annual Labor Day Weekend Fly-In." It's my fault, Doug. I'm to blame. You sent me some nice pictures of your flyers.
Hard-working Associate VP Ward Van Duzer mailed me this picture of CD Bill Gray awarding AMA Associate VP Tom Morris a First Place trophy in Classic Stunt. The affair was a Control Line Contest in Chattanooga, Tenn. Both Ward and Tom Morris are in Control Line and represent our fine District in this modeling area. Both do a nice job and we are lucky to have them.
(Secret Note: I've mailed a ROBERTS RULES ORDER to S.C. Black Sheep Squadron Club Sec. Tom Brackett for his club meetings. If you want a ROBERTS RULES ORDER for your AMA club, write me. It's free to you. I pay for the book and postage.)
Wilhelmina mailed me about Jerel Zaresky explaining the gyrations of flying model airplanes to some Oak Ridge, Tennessee, school children. Wilhelmina says the Knox County RC Club hosts many school demonstrations each year. We can all be proud of a club like the Knox County RC that yields up its time and energies helping others, trying to make little kids happy.
DISTRICT XI REPORT
Alaska / Idaho / Montana / Oregon / Washington
Ed McCollough Vice President PO Box 13090 Portland, OR 97213-0090 (503) 234-4439 EMAIL: wpc1@pacifier.com
Associate Vice Presidents:
- Rick Allison, 15138 NE 56th Way, Redmond, WA 98052
- Al Culver, Box 86, Wilder, ID 83676
- Eric Hankison, 319 Lincolnbrook, Billings, MT 59101
- Jerry Holcomb, 10110 NE 122nd Ave., Vancouver, WA 98684
- Reeves Lillipett, 1021 Farrow Circle, Anchorage, AK 99504-2237
- Mike Hazlett, 1073 Windemere Dr. NW, Salem, OR 97304
- Bruce Nelson, 807 E. Vicksburg St., Spokane, WA 99208
- Dick Wickline, P.O. Box 623, Kalama, WA 98625
- Richard Shearer, 7411 Libero Ct., LaCenter, WA 98611
- Nick Young, 7411 15th Ave. SE #4, Mt. Vernon, WA 98273
Frequency Coordinator:
- Al Watson, 1350 145th N.E., Bellevue, WA 98007
John Hanson reported on the Biplanes Forever event held by the Tri-Cities R/C Modelers on Aug. 23 at their field near Richland, WA. According to John, they had 15 entrants for this first-time event, but most were TCRC members. John also sent photos of two highlights of the fly-in: Bruce Harwell's 150-inch Jenny and Larry Mitchell's Scat Cat biplane. John wrote about Larry's "ace": "It flew like a scalded cat!" Larry didn't finish it until 4:30 in the morning of the fly-in. Bruce brought his big Jenny from Ellensburg, WA to enjoy their event. John also mentioned that their first Big Bird was so successful that they may make it a two-day affair this year.
Jerry Holcomb, AVP and modeler of the obscure, sent in the following report. "Bob Kreuzinger's First Annual UFO Meet was held on September 21, 1997, at the Keizer R/C Club's Silverton field. Jerry and CCRCS celebrity-flier Ralph Suter crammed their creations into Ralph's van and toodled down to I-5. Ralph had packed in his obviously UFO-ish Martian Space Ship, his cute little LM .100 .049-powered helicopter and a regular old Sig Fazer, while Jerry managed to find enough room for his two original-design autogyros and the little red electric-powered TurboElf.
There was a pretty good crowd of spectators on hand when the dreaded Washington contingent arrived at about 11:00 a.m., but the action was kind of slow due to the small pool of UFOs...and it was hot. There was no shade on the site if you didn't bring your own and since there wasn't a whole lot of flying going on, Ralph proceeded to put up several excellent demo flights with his Space Ship—including a couple of deadstick-but-on-the-runway landings.
There was one other Martian Space Ship there. It was a per-plan stock unit and was not flown as aggressively as Ralph's highly modified one—but it didn't look as well used either! Bob K. had his reliable Rogallo-wing equipped with a ride-along "witch" including swinging legs; there was a small Klingberg wing with a heatsink-head equipped TD .049 pusher; one of the innumerable Bill Evans designed Scimitar tailless designs—it had tricycle landing gear and looked to be .40-powered; two Whistler autogyros, neither of which could get airborne; a Snoopy's Dog House (flown by Brent Culbertson, from Ocean Park, WA and the Beachmasters R/C Club) died a violent death when it suffered an apparent elevator servo failure—it was flying fine up until then. (Guess it was the most spectacular "landing" at the event made by the strange objects); one Osprey transverse twin-rotor autogyro (that flew better after it was pointed out to the owner that the blades were mounted backwards on the hubs, but it actually flew pretty well with the blades rotating trailing edge first!); and finally Bob K. had a Flettner-style rotating cylinder wing model—which didn't fly.
The Silverton flying site has a nice short-cut grass runway—a good field for sport-size models. The grass was smooth enough that Jerry made his first grass-field takeoffs with the little .15-powered GOOFY autogyro, and it only has 1.25-inch wheels. Jerry's electric intermeshing-blade G-100 autogyro made a few full-length runway flights at 2–3 foot altitude, but the climb performance was too marginal to warrant a complete traffic pattern.
"Overall, Ralph and Jerry were glad that they went down to support the UFO fliers, and hopefully there will be another meet next year."
When you read this, spring won't be far off and the opening of the flying season. It's time to put in a plug for the Zillah Fun Fly, which will be May 16–17. News is that the Yakima Valley Aero Modelers are in the process of putting in a well to provide water to make the place greener and may resurface the runway in the near future. The Volcano Fun Fly at Zillah is one of the longest-running events in the district. It's always been a good contest, with a chance to spend a lot of quality time doing airplane things and catching up with old friends and making new ones. Saturday night is a good feed and some come early in the week to camp at the site and just enjoy the hobby. Bill Tucker at Box 228, Zillah, WA 98953 or 509-829-5027 can fill you in on the details.
About the 18th of April, the Great Oregon EXPO will happen in Corvallis. There will be a one-day format; it went well in 1997, so look for all kinds of models to be exhibited and a swap meet there.
We'll close this column with sad news. First, from Bob Staelke: "Dave Vincent, long-time free flighter from Southern California and more recently of Oregon, passed away on June 9 of a massive heart attack. Dave, 64, was well known for his excellent construction techniques and his competition in gas-powered free flight events. He was a regular contestant in the major events in the NW and frequently traveled to California to participate in contests there. He moved to Oregon in 1990 and became a member of the Willamette Modelers Club where he was club president at the time of his death, having been elected in 1995. This summer he was planning to marry his fiancée, Lisa Clark, after the NW Free Flight Championships in August. NW free fliers will miss his good nature and sense of humor as well as his excellent flying. Most of all, we will miss Dave, a truly good person."
Don Bentfield, AMA council member from District VII, died Christmas Day, less than 50 days after he was diagnosed with bone cancer. While he wasn't a District XI member, he was interested and concerned about the needs of the members of his district as he was of all members. In council operations he was a steady voice; one of reason as opposed to passion. Don was many people's loving husband and father, a long-time modeler of varied interests, a Scout leader, a canoeist, a tennis player, an auto restorer, a professional writer, and he was a very, very good friend.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
